Knoppix 7.0 Released

Klaus Knopper has released version 7.0 of Knoppix. According to the website, this release is based on “the usual picks from Debian stable (Squeeze) and testing (Wheezy), with newer package versions especially for desktop applications.” It uses kernel 3.2.4 and xorg 7.6 (core 1.11.3.901). The new version also includes experimental free Nouveau graphics modules supporting NVidia cards, accelerated graphics via kernel mode settings (KMS); LibreOffice 3.4.5; Chromium 16.0.912.77 and Firefox/Iceweasel 10.0; and an optional 64-bit kernel via boot option “knoppix64,” supporting systems with more than 4GB of RAM.

Version 7.0 also includes ADRIANE version 1.4 of the audio desktop framework, which now uses CuneiForm as the engine for text recognition of scanned texts and includes enhanced support for several cellphone models via Gammu (SMS function). ADRIANE (Audio Desktop Reference Implementation And Networking Environment) is a talking menu system, which, according to the website, can make Internet access easier for computer beginners, even if they have no sight contact to the computer’s monitor. A graphical environment with talking programs and arbitrary magnification using compiz-fusion is another option.

Ten is a fair age for a Linux distribution that doesn’t have massive staff resources to back it up. Klaus Knopper looks back with a sense of satisfaction after just having compiled version 6.4. As a tribute to the community, this version includes only free software.